Princeton University
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Computer Science FRS 117
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Richard L. Smith '70 Freshman SeminarIn March 2007, U.S. users performed 7 billion Web searches. But did we find the information we need? What was the quality of the information? Were the searches "fair", and what do we mean by that?
This seminar will explore the issues of obtaining information in the age of the Web. We will consider how current search technology works, the great achievements and failures of the technology, and how social, legal, and economic issues interact with technological issues to determine what we find and how satisfied we are with what we find. Obtaining information goes beyond obtaining some links to relevant websites. How trustworthy is the information on a site? Is a site highly ranked because it is "gaming the system"? Are there better sites unknown to the search engine? These are a few of the many questions that arise as we examine the quality of Web searches.
We will use Google as our primary case study, examining the "big idea" that harnesses social networking in the Web and was the foundation of Google's success. We will also consider the engineering and business advances that have made Google worth $150 billion only nine years after it was founded. Google is the middle of the story. We will also consider what came before and where we are going as we seek more and better information. Our beginning is Vannevar Bush's seminal 1945 Atlantic Monthly article "As We May Think," presenting his vision of a device to store and recall all information one might desire.
We will assume no prior knowledge of computer science and technology; the goal is to understand the high-level ideas and their importance. We will explore issues through the reading of selected articles and discussion. The work of the course will include both experimentation with search technology and writing.
Professor: Andrea LaPaugh - 304 CS Building - 258-4568 aslp@cs.princeton.edu
Undergraduate Coordinator: Donna O'Leary - 410 CS Building - 258-1746 doleary@cs.princeton.edu